Asia & the Pacific

Despite setbacks, the powerful can still be held to account for their crimes.

A Cannes win has turned trans actors from outsiders to heroes.

The protests aren’t likely to turn into mass mobilization, but they are politically significant.

A new organization includes five Southeast Asian members.

Sonam Wangchuk’s fast in solidarity with Cockroach movement protests joins a long tradition.

Cultural decolonization advances alongside unprecedented Western partnerships.

The world’s great powers are engaging a new battleground in their search for critical minerals.

China wants to use the ancient deity Mazu to push unification narratives.

Trump and Xi have brutally undermined the institutions and personnel responsible for safeguarding diplomacy.

India and other Kremlin customers will benefit from an easing of restrictions.

Geopolitical fragmentation has hamstrung nuclear sanctions regimes. Pyongyang is taking advantage.

The former prime minister set a timeline for her homecoming, despite the threat of arrest.

Ten years on, the Philippines is stepping up its defense plans in the South China Sea.

The Indian prime minister visits Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand this week.

A pall of cynicism hangs over proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Opinion polling shows that trust in Tokyo is surprisingly deep.

As the two sides near a final trade deal, a few sticking points remain.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth tells FP why she is traveling to Taiwan.

The two countries announce a “new era” in ties during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s trip.

The emotionalism in Indian politics obscures the strategic logic of U.S.-India ties.

The newfound bloc has emerged as a potential winner from the Iran war.

Why can’t coal-rich Indonesia keep the lights on?

An intense El Niño threatens to compound trade and energy pain.

Islamabad could leverage its success as a mediator to secure its own interests.

Energy is Putin’s strongest card in a fuel-hungry region.

Diplomatic fractures between the two strategic partners are likely to outlast the conflict.

A military name change signals a broader strategic and diplomatic shift.

The United States is racing ahead where Europe, China, and India struggle.

Financing foreign elections is a curious habit for a one-party state.

India’s ambassador to Washington insists “Make in India” doesn’t conflict with “America First.”

Trump’s willingness to sell out allies should cause a rethink in Taipei.

A war of choice has turned into a strategic disaster for Washington.

The ongoing war has revealed vulnerabilities that could prove far more dangerous in a conflict over Taiwan.

A strategic rethink is needed in an era of U.S. unreliability.

Accusations of defense “freeloading” hit the third rail of Wellington’s politics.

A step forward in the maritime dispute masks dangers on the land border.

The Chinese leader’s long-awaited visit to Pyongyang aims to counter Russian influence.

Far-right meme politics shows how strong anti-democratic forces remain.

The war in Iran has depleted the Pentagon as China’s military buildup matures.

Prisoner releases mostly reflect the regime’s growing confidence five years after seizing power in a coup.

Donald Trump is working hard to alienate yet another strategic partner.

Snubbing a key security forum shows Beijing’s new confidence.

The new import duties are “a solution in search of a problem.”

There is a brief lull in violence, but the root causes of the conflict haven’t been addressed.

A satirical political party has tapped into the discontent among unemployed youth.

A joint campaign to defend the island would struggle to operate effectively.

A Shangri-La charm offensive collided with regional values.

Tokyo spent decades preparing for disruption—then found its options narrowing.

Islamabad is happy to give the U.S. president the image he craves.

Democracy promotion is out, and the race to engage the country’s junta is on.

A more modest agenda is also more credible.

Repairing Trump’s damage to bilateral ties will require more than a charm offensive.

A Xi visit to Pyongyang is likely soon, after a seven-year gap.

A messy rollout looks set to disrupt global commodity markets.

The pause of a $14 billion arms package raises concerns about U.S. support for Taipei.

The Chinese president may be preparing for a rare and momentous trip to Pyongyang.

India may be less liberal now, but it remains democratic.

The Philippines has replaced India in Washington’s security calculus on China.

The country has sent troops and arms to Saudi Arabia at a delicate moment in the Iran war.

The gunfight is the latest twist in a power struggle between two dynasties.

Historian Rana Mitter on the new balance of power between Washington and Beijing.

What Curaçao figured out about World Cup soccer that India still hasn’t.

A tale of two readouts.

The BJP decisively ousted longtime leaders in the state, but last-minute changes to the voter rolls have fueled allegations of foul play.

The group’s foreign ministers convene in New Delhi amid global tensions.

Forced assimilation is costing China dearly.

Diplomacy of the highest quality is more essential than ever.

Trouble is brewing as norms against war dissolve.

The secretary of state may face an uphill battle during his visit to New Delhi this month.

A coordinated response from the grouping did not emerge from its Cebu summit.

Western-dominated insurance premiums can choke off Beijing’s oil supplies more effectively than warships can.

India’s ruling party got a boost from four state elections this week—and unseated a longtime rival.

U.S. guarantees have not shielded Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam from economic shock.

By pulling Seoul into its rivalry with Beijing, Washington is undermining the alliance’s core mission.

Frustration bubbles with the United States ahead of the leaders’ gathering in Cebu.

Kim Jong Un is orchestrating his daughter’s ascent through a campaign of maternal statecraft.

Malaysia becomes the first country to cancel its tariff deal with the White House.

The Iran war is choking supply of the world’s most expensive spice.

The Section 301 case outlined by U.S. trade officials is neither coherent nor defensible.

For Iran’s Sunni admirers, resistance remains the appeal.

As New Delhi feels the crunch, diplomacy in Abu Dhabi hints at expanding green cooperation.

Why the World Bank’s quiet decision to move the South Asian country to its Middle East column is more than just a bureaucratic footnote.

Gita Gopinath on how countries can make themselves more resilient.

In a world of disorder, the bloc’s boring stability is suddenly attractive.

Washington has no good options for evacuating Americans in a crisis.

An apparently off-the-cuff observation sparked consternation across the region.

Beijing is ready to take risks as Tokyo backs Taiwan.

It is hard to imagine the grouping enduring another two and a half years of Trump.

As U.S.-Iran talks falter, the political and economic risks are rising for Islamabad.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s fate remains uncertain.

I’ve never seen a negotiation that’s quite like this one.

Conflict with Iran hurts American wallets, but it’s far more devastating for people in the global south.

Anthropic’s latest AI model has kick-started a new debate. 

Beijing’s response to Washington’s chaos is not triumphalism but a patient campaign to win the future.

A first round of U.S.-Iran talks didn’t lead to a deal, but Islamabad wants to stay at the table.

The Indonesian president visits Moscow—and signs a U.S. defense agreement.

From Jordan to Nepal, solutions to urban water woes are leaving the countryside angry and parched.

The president is betting economic pressure can do what bombs couldn’t.

As Islamabad hosts peace talks, it’s also balancing a security pact with Riyadh.

Government paralysis is freezing budgets and wrecking public trust.